How do you build a team to get a grip of a sprawling university web presence and then keep hold? Two years ago, the University of Edinburgh invested in a team to transform how prospective student web content was managed.

We turned that original proposal into a human-centred design team focused on improving the overall prospective student experience. Our goal now is to influence student and staff behaviours to achieve business outcomes.

We don’t have all the answers, but we’ll talk about both theory and practice, sharing our team’s successes and learnings along the way.

Key takeaways:

• The role of content specialists in a human-centred design team

• The role of organisational culture in delivering useful and usable digital services

• Examples of putting the theory into practice, and the impact it can have

About Neil Allison and Lauren Tormey

Neil Allison and Lauren Tormey are members of the University of Edinburgh’s Prospective Student Web Content Team, part of Communications and Marketing. Their multi-disciplinary team blends user research, content design and software development expertise to support colleagues across 22 schools, 3 colleges and numerous service functions, and deliver great experiences for prospective students.

Neil Allison is the Head of Prospective Student Web Content. He has over 20 years’ experience in the public sector as part of content management service teams and digital consultancy functions. Prior to his current role, he established the University of Edinburgh’s User Experience Service.

LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilallison/

Lauren Tormey is a Content Designer in the Prospective Student Web Content team. Over her six years in higher education, she has used her editorial, CMS, and UX skills to support the creation and maintenance of more effective, human-centred content.

LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-tormey/